Group says ‘WATCH’ out for summer toy hazards

Summer presents a boatload of possible fun for children, from swimming and water fights to skateboarding and bouncing on the backyard trampoline.

But many of those activities also present potential dangers - both evident and hidden - including accidental drowning, asphyxiation, choking and eye injuries, a Boston nonprofit warned today.

An estimated 2.7 million U.S. children will visit hospital emergency rooms this summer, and some 119 will die each week, according to World Against Toys Causing Harm.

Many of those injuries and deaths could be prevented if parents are more knowledgeable about the dangers of certain products and activities, safety precautions are heeded, and the government and manufacturers more rigorously pretest products before they land on store shelves, according to WATCH.

Since WATCH’s last press conference in November that highlighted dangerous toys prior to the holiday gift-giving season, there have been 102 recalls representing 18 million units of dangerous toys and other children’s products, according to Siff.

The toy safety group urged parents to read warnings on packaging and avoid some toys if children can’t reasonably be expected to follow the precautions during the normal course of play.

WATCH director James Swartz recommended parents not let their children play with toys that include projectiles. The ammunition often is very small and poses a potential for choking, brain injuries and death if ingested.

“They’re not toys, they’re weapons,” he said.

Other toy weapons such as water guns and slingshots could cause eye injuries, Swartz said.

“Water guns continue to get more powerful and bigger over the years,” he said.

Swartz singled out the Buzzbee Tarantula Water Warrior as an example of a potentially dangerous water gun. The motorized toy blasts water up to 35 feet and comes with a rechargeable battery pack and charger. Labeling on the toy’s packaging warns that handling the charger or battery with wet hands could result in a fire or electric shock, Swartz noted.

Three different toy dart guns, meanwhile, have been recalled since December after being tied to choking hazards and the asphyxiation deaths of two children.

Inline skating resulted in more than 19,000 injuries and eight deaths in 2008, and the use of skateboards and scooters resulted in 200,000-plus injuries, according to WATCH, which advises children to wear helmets and elbow, knee and wrist pads if necessary.

Swimming and other water-related activities also present summer dangers. Baby pools and even buckets with two inches of water can be hazardous and should be emptied after use. And rafts can obstruct a parent’s view of a child in distress.

Drowning is often a silent killer - not the loud, flailing act portrayed in movies - so Siff advised parents not to turn away their attention away from children even for a minute.